


Forbidden Curse, Forgotten Promises

by petals_and_bones



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hatake Kakashi-centric, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, Mystery, Pre-Shippuden, Psychological Horror, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, Thriller, but it gets really dark, my love for kakashi has gone too far, this is basically just a filler arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:08:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25944856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petals_and_bones/pseuds/petals_and_bones
Summary: Training through the ranks and eventually making it to the status of Jonin has filled your life with missions and training, but nothing has ever distracted you from pining for your childhood friend, the kind-hearted Kakashi Hatake.So when the fifth Hokage sends you on a mission together to the edges of the Land of Fire, it's up to you to balance your love for Kakashi of the Sharingan with your duty to protect the village. Especially when you're protecting it from an evil unlike any you've ever seen before...
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Reader, Hatake Kakashi/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 89





	1. Memories of Sweet Dumplings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is hot on the heels of me finishing Shippuden for the first time yesterday and I love my husbando so much, so I want other readers to feel the love, too. :)

_“Hey, Kakashi! Come over here and join us for some dango!”_

_Guy’s voice, eager and encouraging, rang across the crowded street as he waved with his free hand. The other was filled with at least three skewers of the sweet dumplings. Across the street, a forlorn figure was walking with his head down and his shoulders stooped. His dark eye flitted over at the sound of Guy’s invitation, but he made no move to slow his pace. Just kept walking, as if he hadn’t heard the boy._

_You watched all of this, your own dango clutched in your hand, sharing a table with Asuma and Kurenai sitting around you in a half-circle. Beside you, Umemaru lay in a content snoozing pile, his belly already full of the meat dango the vendor had insisted on giving him._

_“Man,” Guy sighed, his shoulders slouching, “I really thought he’d join us today.” His typical go-getter attitude always dimmed when he was rebuffed by Kakashi._

_To your left, Asuma shook his head. “He probably wants to be alone right now, given all that’s happened.” This did nothing to boost Guy’s spirits, who instead just slumped against the wall like a rag doll._

_Kurenai sighed quietly. “I wish there was something we could do for him...”_

_You stayed quiet, eyes following the silvery-haired boy as he turned a corner and was gone. He was probably on his way to the cemetery again- he was always in the cemetery these days. Ever since he came back from his last mission alone, he had kept the whole village at arm’s length._

_Guy broke the silence, his jovial mood suddenly flooding back, as he heartily exclaimed your name. You jumped._

_“Why don’t we get you to invite him next time? He couldn’t resist your womanly charms for a second!”_

_Cheeks flooding with warmth, you stood up and hurled your dumplings directly at Guy’s head. “Shut up, Eyebrows! Don’t act like you know anything about it!”_

_He just laughed heartily, snatching the skewer out of the air with his lightning-quick reflexes and instinctively stuffing the dumplings in his mouth. Kurenai giggled beside you as you sat down, blushing hotly, sharpened nail tapping on the table._

_“You know,” she addressed you kindly, “you could always just talk to him and see where things go from there. He needs a friend.”_

_“Or more than a friend!” Asuma interrupted, his boyish laughter cut short by Kurenai kicking him swiftly under the table._

_Your blush subsided as you laughed at Asuma’s I’m-not-in-terrible-pain face, the noise waking Umemaru, who shook himself off and hopped up onto your shoulder. The tiny black pup yapped excitedly, his tail wagging._

_‘Hey, hey, what’s all the excitement?’_

_“You slept through most of the excitement, Umemaru.” You responded, reaching up to scratch him between the ears. The childhood laughter of your friends continued, already joking about something else, and you found your gaze returning to the corner that Kakashi had gone around._

_You felt so sorry for him, having been through everything he had. Between Obito and Rin, two of your former classmates, and what had happened to his father all those years ago, you didn’t think there was a lonelier person in the world than Kakashi Hatake._

_The boy you loved._

~*~

‘Hey, hey,’ Umemaru’s barks interrupted your thoughts, ‘don’t go spacin’ out on me now. We’re almost back to the village!’

Your attention was brought fully back to the present, trees whooshing past as you and the large canine navigated their branches. Wind whistled past your ears, favored with the scent of the forest and the gentle sounds of rustling leaves.

‘Boy, you were really far away there.’ He yipped, bounding off of a tree limb. ‘I thought I was gonna have to bite you out of it. What were ya thinkin’ about?’

“Nothing, really.” You responded offhandedly. “Just remembering something.”

‘Well, ya better clear your head before we go see Lady Tsunade.’ 

The reminder did nothing at all to clear your head, in fact, and made your insides tighten. Your previous mission, for which you were now on your way back to Konoha, hadn’t really gone as well as you’d planned. You had been sent to investigate some disappearances in the rural farmland on the edges of the Land of Fire, but had come up short. No info beyond some missing farm animals.

You’d been chosen specifically, as a member of the Inuzuka clan, for your superb tracking skills. But they hadn’t served you as well as you’d hoped- the whole area had been drowned out by the cloying, musky smell of a dog. Just the memory of it was making your nose sting and your eyes water.

As the village gates came into view around a turn, you took a deep breath and prepared your excuses for the Hokage. You’d have to tell her it was a bust, and probably some kind of wild animal- one that would need a bigger team to track down and exterminate.

Yeah. Some Jonin you were.

As you and Umemaru touched down in front of the village, the guards paying you no mind due to your familiarity, you spotted a familiar face wandering the crowds outside of the main street.

“Hey! Eyebrows!”

The black bowl-cut snapped up at the sound of your husky voice, and Might Guy’s beaming smile greeted you immediately. “Well, well! Look who’s back from her daring mission!”

“Ugh, _daring_ probably isn’t how I would put it.” You rolled your eyes as he reached down to pet a grinning Umemaru. “Gotta go tell Lady Tsunade we’ll need more shinobi for this one. She’ll be thrilled.”

“Oh, don’t be so worried!” He straightened back up, offering his trademark thumbs-up as you crossed your arms. “She’ll be proud of you for working so hard! You’re a model Jonin!”

“Yeah, yeah.” You scoffed, looking around at the villagers passing by. Many of them skirted away nervously at the sight of the red fang markings on your cheeks and the enormous black dog sitting at your side. You were used to it- they usually changed their tune once they recognized the leaf headband tied loosely around your neck.

“Which reminds me!” His voice still sounded confident, but Guy’s expression turned suddenly serious. “After you’re finished with the Hokage, could you go talk to Kakashi for me? It seems like something’s got him down, and he won’t even talk to me, his favorite rival!”

The ‘rival’ comment made you smile, despite the old familiar blush that crept up your neck and warmed your face. “What makes you think he’ll talk to me, Eyebrows?”

“It’s like I always say!” His wide grin was back, and he flashed another thumbs-up. “He wouldn’t be able to resist your womanly charms!”

Guy was immediately silenced by the force of your hand, chopping the top of his head with a sharp _whack._ He fell to his knees, still smiling, clutching his head in pain. “I know you can do it!” His jovial voice echoed as you walked away, laughing, Umemaru trotting close behind.

‘ _Womanly charms?_ You couldn’t charm your way out of a paper bag!’ The dog barked, humor evident in his tone.

You glared sidelong at him. “Once I figure out what that means, I’ll come up with a crushing reply.” 

The rest of your walk was relatively uneventful. You passed by some friendly faces- recognizing a couple of Kurenai’s students, who waved at you and Umemaru with wide smiles. Despite everything that had happened previously with Lord Third, you felt like the village was finally restoring itself to a normal, comfortable pace. 

On the way up the steps leading to the Hokage’s office, you ran into two familiar faces. They both recognized you instantly, offering a pleasant greeting to you and your companion. 

“Hey Izumo, hey Kotetsu. Were you guys talking to Lady Tsunade?”

Kotetsu nodded, the slightest hint of a grimace ghosting his lips. “Uhh… yeah, you might not want to go in there just yet. She’s in an emergency meeting with Shikamaru. 

You raise an eyebrow. “The new Chunin? Why, did something happen?”

“We’re not really allowed to say names, but...” Izumo said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Seems like a Genin went missing last night. They’re putting together a search party to go after him.”

A pang of worry resounded through your thoughts, and you shared a concerned glance with Umemaru. “Poor kid. If it’s a search party they need, they’ll probably be asking someone from my clan… I’ll see if I can find out more information once I meet up with Lady Hokage.”

“Probably for the best.” Kotetsu crossed his arms, giving an approving nod. “Well, we’ve got guard duty, so… we’ll see you around?”

“For sure.” You gave the two comrades a friendly wave, Umemaru punctuating it with a bark, and they smiled before continuing on their way. Only you and your dog were left in the corridor outside the Hokage’s office.

‘Jeez, I hope something didn’t happen to the poor kid.’ Umemaru yipped, sitting on his haunches as you leaned against the wall. You nodded in agreement.

“With a Genin, who knows. Could be anything from getting lost on their way back from a mission to going rogue. We’ll know more if we find out which one it was.” Deep down, you wonder if it may have been one of Kakashi’s students. It might explain why Guy had said he was feeling so down.

Several more minutes passed, and the door finally creaked open. A troubled-looking Shikamaru stepped out, barely making eye contact with you and giving you a respectful nod before continuing down the hallway. It always surprised you just how much the kid looked like his father. 

You knocked on the door cautiously and upon hearing a voice say, “Enter,” made your way into the room, leaving Umemaru to wait in the hallway.

Tsunade looked exhausted. A worried, far-off look lingered on her face as she addressed you formally. Bowing, you wondered internally if the situation was more serious than you’d anticipated.

“Lady Hokage. I’ve returned from the border with distressing news. There is no sign of foul ninja play in the region contributing to the disappearances, however, my tracking senses were able to pick up on a beast-like smell engulfing the area. I believe there may be some large animal attacking their villagers and livestock. I have no way of communicating with or taking down the beast myself. Should the mission continue, I must humbly request further support.”

The Hokage sighed, her expression weary. “I see. That is… quite alright. I will put together a team to go there in your stead and eliminate the threat.” She shuffled some papers on her desk, expression unchanged, before lacing her fingers and looking at you seriously.

“In place of that, it isn’t a mission, but I have a favor to ask of you. You are friends with Kakashi Hatake, correct?”

Your stomach flipped. “Yes, my lady.”

“I see. I need you to deliver a message to him. Inform him that…” she sighed again, obviously reluctant to speak. “... one of his students went missing last night. Sasuke Uchiha. We have reason to believe he may have accompanied the Sound Four to go join forces with Orochimaru.”

A cold lancet of fear slid into your belly, and your head spun. You knew Sasuke- _everyone_ knew Sasuke- how often had you seen him and the rest of Team Kakashi in the village together? He was a dark, sullen boy, and reminded you all too much of his older brother, Itachi.

And if he was anything at all like Itachi, that meant his ninjutsu skill was far beyond his years. This _was_ bad.

The Hokage continued. “I have sent Shikamaru to assemble a group of Genin to retrieve him. Naruto Uzumaki was recommended specifically. I would like for you to let Kakashi know so he can see them off if he wishes. And to report back to me when he can.”

Studiously betraying no emotion, you bowed stiffly, agreeing to relay the message, and left the room calmly. Umemaru’s tail started wagging immediately when you stepped outside.

‘How’d it go? Are we fired?’

“No, Ume. We’re fine.” You scratched him behind the ears distractedly. Your gaze was far away, mind racing with thoughts. Goosebumps prickled your skin as you replayed Tsunade’s order in your head. “We’ve got an errand to run. I’ll explain on the way.”

~*~

It wasn’t hard to find out where Kakashi was. You touched down close to the Konoha war memorial, spying the fluff of spiky, silvery-white hair from a distance. His silhouette was calm, peaceful, as he stood with his hands in his pockets and gazed at the statue. You almost didn’t want to interrupt his moment- but this was important.

“Kakashi,” you announced yourself as you approached him, Umemaru hanging slightly behind. The man turned around, regarding you with his dark eye passively as he had so many times before, and you saw the trace of a sad smile behind his mask. He said your name quietly.

“Always nice to see you and Umemaru. What brings you here?”

Despite the gravity of the situation, Kakashi’s calm and kind disposition always left you feeling weak in the knees. Talking to him always made it seem like everything would be okay. You desperately wished that were the case now, as you took a deep breath.

“Lady Tsunade sent me. I have a message for you.” His gaze hardened. Did he _know?_ “Your student… Sasuke Uchiha, he… he left the village last night. Tsunade said he may have left with the Sound Four to join Orochimaru.”

The gentle rustling of wind in the leaves was the only noise for several moments. Kakashi’s expression, thanks to his face coverings, was impossible to read. You thought you could see the slightest crease in his brow, and the way he blinked quickly made you wonder if he was feeling the sting of tears. You couldn’t tell.

“She asked the new Chunin, Shikamaru, to assemble a group of Genin as a retrieval squad, if you want to see them off. Naruto Uzumaki will be with them. And she also requests that you report to her as soon as possible.”

At length, he took a deep breath, as if surfacing from being underwater. “I see.” His face turned briefly toward the statue one last time, leaves blowing by in the wind, before he turned to look at you.

“... Come on. Follow me.”

He was off the ground in a flash, leaving you and Umemaru to follow close behind. His speed as he jumped across trees and buildings was lithe and graceful, and you were honestly struggling to keep up. It had been a long time since you two trained together. Focusing your gaze on the spiral adorning the back of his vest, you tried to keep your mind clear of the thoughts that were now swirling like dark storm clouds.

In just a couple minutes, you caught up to Kakashi, perched on a tall building overlooking the village’s front gates. Slightly out of breath, with Umemaru panting behind you, you looked at the masked man curiously. “Why bring me here?”

He said nothing, instead just pointing down at the gate. 

You followed his finger, realizing who he was pointing at.

A familiar group of Genin stood just outside the gate, their voices too faint for you to make out what they were saying. You could see Neji Hyuga and the Akamichi boy- Choji- standing beside Shikamaru. With a rush of relief you also recognized your nephew Kiba and his companion Akamaru, still just a puppy. Even Rock Lee, looking like a miniature copy of his sensei, propped himself up on one crutch. He was hanging back- you couldn’t imagine he was in any shape to be out on a mission right now.

Standing in front of them, smile wide on his face, was a familiarly loud blot of orange and yellow. Naruto Uzumaki. He was talking to a girl with pink hair that you soon recognized as Sakura Haruno, and the crests and falls of his loud, husky voice echoed for everyone to hear.

“Don’t worry, Sakura! I’ll bring back Sasuke safe and sound!”

The boy’s wide grin was all too convincing, and you found yourself feeling a little comforted. It was a good group. Shikamaru had done well. Looking sidelong at Kakashi, you were surprised to see his eyes creased in a smile.

“... You have some brave students, Kakashi.” You murmured quietly, looking back down at the group, still discussing their plan. Kakashi’s voice sounded thicker than usual.

“They’re great kids. I have faith in them.” The white-haired man murmured, his gaze softening. The two of you watched in silence as the Sasuke-Retrieval squad turned and left the front gates, in a formation that Shikamaru had no doubt put together. 

Long after the Genin were out of sight, and Sakura had helped Lee down the street in the direction of home, you and Kakashi continued to sit quietly. Umemaru slept at your side as you let your hand rest between his ears. It would have been awkward for anyone else, but the two of you had always managed a shared calm between the loud, boisterous personalities of the other Jonin. 

That wasn’t to say that you had any shortage of pep in you- you were easily the most fiery of the bunch- but you could always slow down and meet on Kakashi’s wavelength when he was nearby.

It wasn’t until the sunset painted the sky orange and long shadows stretched across the village that Kakashi finally stood back, sighing softly. You stretched your arms above your head, feeling the stirrings of a slowly-waking Umemaru at your side.

“Well,” he started, hands in his pockets, “would you like to go get something to eat?”

Your cheeks heated up immediately, and you looked at him incredulously. “Wha- I- don’t you have to go see the Hokage?”

“She can wait.” His eye closed in a calm smile. “It’s the least I can do to thank you for delivering the message and waiting with me. Come on, my treat.” Kakashi hopped off the building and landed on the street below with the agility of a cat, leaving you and your bleary-eyed dog to follow.

The two of you walked side-by-side as the streetlights started to light up, the village’s nightlife slowly but surely coming out. Dusk painted the sky a dusty purple, and as you looked up, faint stars twinkled above. Murmurs of crowd noise matched a similar buzz to the cicadas that droned from the trees. The sweet evening filled your senses and made you close your eyes for a moment, to take it all in.

But it was that sad kind of sweetness that comes with a hanging tension, and as you looked at Kakashi out of the corner of your eye, you found yourself wishing the circumstances around such a nice evening could have been different.

“Wait here.” His voice snapped you out of your thoughts, and you were left to linger on the street with Umemaru at your side. As you watched, Kakashi approached an all-too-familiar dumpling stand and made a brief order.

He soon came back, smiling politely, holding a couple skewers of sweet dango. Your heart fluttered as he handed you one, and tossed the meat dumpling in his other hand for Umemaru to snatch out of the air eagerly. 

The sweet rice dumpling was warm and soft, and with it came a flood of nostalgic memories. You weren’t sure what to say, you just smiled up at Kakashi. “Thank you. It’s been a while since I had one of these. I thought you didn’t like sweet things?”

“I don’t,” he commented, his head tilted slightly to the side. “But I know you do.”

If you had been blushing before, your entire head was practically glowing now. You looked to the side, avoiding his gaze. “Jeez, all I did was run an errand for the Hokage.”

He nodded in agreement, his voice gentle. “That’s true, but you didn’t have to come with me to make sure they left safely, and yet you did. So… thank you.”

You chuckled briefly, taking another bite of your treat. “You’re welcome, Kakashi.”

The two of you continued to stroll down the street, Umemaru following behind, and deep down you found yourself wishing with all your heart that everything would turn out okay. Above you, the stars glittered in the evening sky.

~*~

_“You’re a crybaby! We don’t wanna play with you anymore! And you smell like a wet dog!” The young boy jeered, rounding up his cohort of friends and running to the other side of the playground. You knelt on the gritty sand, your freshly-skinned knee stinging and weeping blood down your leg._

_All you’d wanted to do was show them a ninjutsu move, and they made fun of you? It wasn’t your fault you fell down and hurt yourself! Tears streamed down your cheeks as you wailed, the humiliation of being teased and the pain of your injury pouring out of you in hiccuping sobs._

_As you sat and cried, wiping tears and grit from your face, a shadow crossed your vision and you looked up. Standing in front of you was a little boy around your age, silvery-white hair hanging over his face in a spiky fluff, and his scarf was drawn up over his mouth and nose. He looked concerned, kindness radiating from his dark eyes._

_“Why’re you crying?”_

_You sniffled, knuckling tears off of your face. “I-I fell down… and those JERKS said I was a crybaby!” Pointing at the assailants on the other side of the playground, you were wracked with a new wave of tears. “They’re meanies! I hate them!”_

_“It’s okay. Here.” The boy knelt down and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping down the blood and dirt from your knee. You watched, lower lip trembling, as he cleaned you up. Then he looked back up at you and smiled with his eyes._

_“There. All better!”_

_Something in your tummy felt like butterflies, and you felt your face getting hot. Tears were still leaking from the corners of your eyes. “Doesn’t change that they won’t play with me.” You remarked with a pout, crossing your arms. The silvery-haired boy just laughed and helped you stand up._

_“That’s okay,” he said kindly. “I got some money for sweet dumplings. Wanna eat them with me?”_

_The promise of sweets lifted your spirits instantly, and your stomach grumbled in agreement. “Uh huh!”_

_The sun was starting to set as you followed him off the playground and down the street to a sweet dumpling vendor. He politely bought two skewers, turning around after a couple minutes and handing you one. You took it eagerly._

_The two of you elected to walk back in the direction of the playground along the river, indulging in your sweets with wide smiles. Even the pain of your skinned knee was forgotten._

_Between bites, you told the boy your name with a happy giggle. The butterflies in your tummy were refusing to go away. When you asked him for his name, he gave you an answer you’d never forget._

_“I’m Kakashi Hatake!” He responded, the syllables rolling off his tongue like music. It was a really nice name._

_“It’s nice to meet you, Kakashi. Thanks for being nice to me.” You hesitated, face hot. “Um… your hair is really pretty.”_

_His big, childish eyes widened at your words, cheeks turning pink as he looked quickly back at his skewer of dumplings. “Th-thank you.” His voice was quiet, but you could hear through his face covering that he was smiling._

_The two of you spent the rest of the afternoon together, and eventually a nice-looking man with the same hair as Kakashi came to pick him up. The lengthening shadows on the ground told you that you had to leave for home soon, too. Even after you waved goodbye and promised to play together soon, you felt the happy fluttering in your tummy, and your steps were as light as a feather on your way home._

_Kakashi Hatake. The boy with the pretty silvery-white hair. “I’ll love him forever,” you whispered, voice carried into the sky by the sweet summer breeze._


	2. An Unlikely Pair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken me a while to write! I promise you won't have to wait as long between chapters from now on. Just had a bit of writing block. Anyway, let's get into it!

_ Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. _

A trio of kunai sunk into the hardened wood of the training dummy, one in each vital point. Your breaths, even and paced, puffed out of your cheeks as you loped to the target to pull them out. Behind you, Umemaru let out an impatient, whining yawn.

‘Why do we always have to come to the training grounds when you need time to brood?’

“It’s not  _ brooding,  _ Ume. I just-” 

_ Thunk. _

“- needed to let off some steam.”

That was only part of the truth. You’d been fretting over the news of Sasuke’s disappearance, and the passing of two whole days had done nothing to assuage your fears. If they really were up against the Sound Four, you weren’t sure how a group of Genin could hold their own. And if they couldn’t bring back Sasuke after all…

Well, you didn’t want to be there when Kakashi got that news.

_ Thunk. _

Kakashi was at the forefront of your worries. You knew he was rational enough to not make any split-second decisions, especially not when they had to do with his students. But it was still enough to worry you out of your sleep at night.

_ Thunk. _

You didn’t want to lose him completely again, not like you had before…

The sound of your name being called across the training grounds caught your attention, and you turned away from the poor practice target to see who it was.

“Kurenai?”

She paced across the training ground, the wind blowing her dark curtain of hair out of her face. “I thought this is where you’d be.” Her lips parted in a warm smile. “The retrieval squad came back. I thought you might want to check in on your nephew.”

It took you a couple of seconds to fully process the information. “I- they came back? What happened, are they okay? Did they get Sasuke?”

“About that…” her eyes sloped downward. “They tried, but… they weren’t able to bring him back. He had a pretty nasty fight with Naruto, too. Your nephew, Neji, Choji, and Naruto are all in the hospital.” Kurenai’s voice caught, and she took a deep breath.

“It looks like their injuries aren’t life-threatening, but they’ll be there for a little while.”

“Kurenai…” you put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Two of her own students left on the mission, she was probably more distraught than she was letting on. “Will you take me there?”

Her lips parted in a small, reassured smile. “Of course.”

~*~

By the time you got to the hospital, the medical nin had already done their work. Kiba and Akamaru were in good health, and being tended to by a very familiar face…

“Hana!”

The brunette turned with a wide smile at your voice, standing up and hugging you tightly. “Hi, Auntie. Thank you for coming.” Behind her, the Haimaru brothers and Umemaru were catching up with excited sniffing and tail wagging.

“Thank  _ you _ for taking care of your little brother. How is he?”

Kiba was asleep in his hospital bed, Akamaru curled up on a small cot beside him. They looked battered, but no worse for wear. You felt your heart tug a little seeing your nephew laid out like this, especially knowing he’d been a part of a failing mission…

“He’ll be fine.” Hana said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I’m more worried about Akamaru. I’m treating him, but it looks like something might have made him more sick than Kiba…” She knelt back down to the puppy’s little cot, cautiously petting him. 

Umemaru whined quietly, sniffing at the sleeping Akamaru. ‘You better take care of him, I’ve still got to teach him about all the things he should be rolling in!’

“Ume!” You snapped, but Hana just laughed and gave the large black dog a pet.

“I’ll do my best, Umemaru. Which reminds me…”

She looked up at you, suddenly serious.

“I can hold down the fort here for the time being. I think there’s someone else you should be visiting.”

“Huh?” You raised your eyebrows, taken aback. “What do you mean? I wanted to make sure Kiba was okay.”

“He will be.” Her calm and comforting expression warmed itself into a gentle smile. “But you know, Naruto’s room is right down the hall, and I’m sure his sensei could use someone to talk to. Kakashi’s been through a lot today.”

Heat flooded your cheeks, and Umemaru snickered beside Hana. ‘Please. She couldn’t be comforting if she tried!’

“Can it, fuzzball.” You snarled, crossing your arms with a huff. “... Okay, I can go talk to him- if he’s even in there.” Turning on your heel, you suffered one last teasing chuckle from your canine companion before walking out and letting the door shut hard behind you.

Naruto’s room wasn’t too far down the hallway, and the door was open slightly. A shaft of warm afternoon sunlight sliced through the harsh whites of the hallway, and you fixated on it with a nervous tug in your stomach. What would your excuse be if Kakashi wasn’t even in there? You and Naruto barely knew each other, you didn’t really know what to say to him.

Or worse, what if Kakashi  _ was _ in there?

You took a deep breath, attempting to smooth your messy, spiked hair, before pushing the door open. The moment was flashbulb-quick, but still left an impression on you that lingered for years afterward.

Naruto was in his hospital bed, liberally bandaged, his breaths rhythmic and slow as he slept. At his bedside, his hand gently resting on the railing and his eyes distant, was Kakashi. The sunlight from the window cast his white hair in a gentle halo, the reverse-silhouette almost too bright to look at. His mask hid his expression, but his body language filled in the gaps. You knew who he must have been thinking about.

“Kakashi?”

The pensive head snapped up, and you saw his eye crease in a friendly smile as he responded with your name warmly. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I’m visiting Kiba.” You walked over to the hospital bed, glancing at the yellow-haired boy- still snoozing away. “How’s Naruto?”

“He’ll be okay. He just needs to rest now.” Kakashi reached over and pulled the chair behind him forward. “Here, take a seat.”

Your cheeks flushed as you nodded, sitting down beside him, close enough for your elbows to brush. The faintest scent came off his clothes- it reminded you of a forest, the kind of earthy, green scent after a summer rain. It suited him.

The two of you were silent. You didn’t bring up Sasuke- either he knew that  _ you _ knew, or he assumed you’d find out. Either way, you didn’t want to make him talk about it if he wasn’t ready. Instead, the two of you shared the same comfortable silence you always had. It always made you feel at ease, but strangely lonely- like there was an invisible barrier that you’d never been able to cross. 

You felt the faintest crack appear in the barrier when he spoke quietly.

“Why did you rejet Lord Third when he asked you to lead a squad of Genin?”

The question caught you off-guard, and you looked at him out of the corner of your eye. His hands were loosely folded in his lap as he eyed you curiously. You offered a shrug.

“... it wasn’t for me. To be responsible for a group of children, guiding their upbringing and helping them become shinobi… it… it  _ scared _ me. Nothing was the same for me after Mikoto-sensei died.” You sighed, the unsavory memory crossing your mind. Finding out about the massacre of the entire Uchiha clan, your former teacher included, had been a huge blow. You’d gone out of your way to make sure the Third Hokage never assigned you to a team, instead dedicating yourself to mission after mission.

It wasn’t the best distraction, but it worked.

“I can’t stand the thought of letting anyone down, especially not genin who have their whole lives ahead of them. It would tear me apart.”

When you finally met Kakashi’s gaze after you finished speaking, you were surprised to see that his expression had softened considerably. He was looking at you with a combination of concern and gentleness that made your insides tighten.

“You’re too hard on yourself,” he said quietly. “I think you’d be a far better teacher than you’re letting on. But despite that… I understand. Your students don’t just become your responsibility, but… they’re eventually your family.” He turned to look out the window, his tone wistful and sad. “You would never want to lose them…”

Dust motes swirled in the window’s shafts of sunlight, dancing around Kakashi as he stared at the village outside. He looked so beautiful, and yet so infinitely far away from you… the rift between you two felt more impassable than ever. The thought of never reaching him suddenly surged you forward, your hand touching his. 

Kakashi jerked with surprise, looking back at you quickly. Your words came pouring out before you could stop them.

“Things are gonna be okay, Kakashi. I promise. You’re such a good sensei, and your students care about you- they’ll realize that in time.  _ All _ of them will. And- and I’ll do anything I can to make sure you know how loved you are!” 

The silver-haired man’s eye got wider and wider with every word. He was just about to speak, when a familiar, husky voice interrupted you both.

“Mnn… hey, Kakashi-sensei, what’re you talkin about…?”

“Oh! Naruto, you’re awake!” The Jonin quickly turned away from you and smiled at Naruto, his hand slipping out of yours. “How are you feeling?”

The blonde looked between the two of you, his trademark confused squint scrunching his face. “Wait a minute…” His eyes suddenly went wide as he pointed at you.

“Scary-Sensei! What’re you doin in my room?” 

A vein twitched in your neck, and you smiled humorlessly. “Scary… sensei..?”

You heard Kakashi stifle a laugh as Naruto nodded. “Yeah, you and your scary dog are always around. Y’know, the one that looks like Akamaru but a lot bigger and could probably eat me in one bite.” He scratched his head, grinning slightly. He sure seemed to be in good spirits…

“What were you guys talkin about while I was sleeping?” His expression suddenly twisted into a disapproving frown as he looked back at his teacher. “Kakashi-sensei, she isn’t your girlfriend, is she…?”

Kakashi’s cheeks turned pink, and you stood straight up, finger pointed at the little blonde twerp. “Say that again, punk, I dare ya.”

“Wha-” There was a jostle of movement as the silvery-haired man reached out to stop you, but Naruto grinned wolfishly at the sudden challenge. 

“You both got nervous awful fast! See, I knew I was right! Kakashi-sensei, you have  _ weird _ taste in women…” 

“Listen here, you little-” You started, hands curling into threatening fists, when the door to Naruto’s room opened. A familiar face poked his head in, somewhat nervously, as your hand sagged to your side. Izumo said your name seriously, looking between the three of you.

“Hana told me you’d be in here. Lady Tsunade has summoned you and Kakashi to see her immediately. She says it’s urgent business.”

“What…?” Now it was Kakashi’s turn to stand up, straightening his vest. “Did she say what about?”

Izumo shook his head. “I wasn’t privy to that information. Just to pass along the message. Hey, Naruto, how’re you feeling?” The shinobi changed course, waving at the blonde. Naruto just stared at him.

“I’m feeling… kinda confused. What’s goin on?”

“It’s probably nothing,” Kakashi told him reassuringly, “but regardless, we should probably get going. You get some more rest, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Quit worryin about me!”

You’d almost made it to the door, trailing behind Kakashi, when Naruto’s voice made your hands twitch into fists again. “Bye-a, Scary-sensei!”

“Little cretin,” you muttered, letting the door slam shut behind you. 

Umemaru was sitting outside Neji’s door, and came trotting over to you and Kakashi with his tail wagging. ‘What’s goin on, why’ve you got the pretty boy with you?’

“C’mon, Ume. We need to go see the Hokage.” Your dog’s eyebrows quirked briefly as his tail slowed, and he matched an even pace behind you and Kakashi as you left the hospital.

You finally decided to speak up after several minutes of silent walking. “Were you just being nice to Naruto, or do you actually not know what this is about?” Kakashi smiled nervously in response, one of his hands fiddling with his hair. Watching his fingers tousle the silky, silvery strands made your heart tug painfully in your chest. 

“I actually have no idea. Tsunade said I had a mission waiting for me once I took care of Naruto, but I didn’t think you’d be involved. We haven’t worked together in a while, huh?”

The corners of your lips pulled up in a shy smile as you looked away. Even with one of them covered, his eye contact always made you a little flustered. “I guess not.”

By the time you finally reached the Hokage’s office, the tension in your shoulders had increased considerably. You had no possible idea what she could have been summoning you for. You and Kakashi were both incredibly strong shinobi on your own, so you weren’t entirely thrilled at the idea of a mission that took both of your talents.

Or who knows, maybe Tsunade was just a really good wingman. 

“Ah. Thanks for coming so quickly, you two.” Tsunade greeted you as you pushed open the door, Ume and Kakashi close behind. “I know this is sudden on the tail of everything that’s happened with Sasuke Uchiha, but I have an S-rank mission that I just can’t entrust to anyone else right now.” She shuffled around a few papers on her desk, brow furrowed. Something was definitely wrong. When she addressed you brusquely, your spine stiffened.

“The village where you discovered signs of some kind of beast on your last mission. Do you remember it?”

“Huh?” The question caught you off-guard. “Yeah, of course. You said you sent a team of shinobi to take care of it.”

Her steely eyes met yours with no emotion. “That was four days ago. They haven’t come back yet. I gave them a deadline of twelve hours.”

You felt a leaden weight sink into your stomach, your pulse fluttering nervously. “How’s that possible? It was just an extermination mission.”

“That’s what I thought, too. But we had a messenger from the region arrive in the village a few hours ago. He was practically dead with exhaustion… said he’d been traveling on foot nonstop just to deliver this.”

She reached down and retrieved a konoha headband from a drawer, placing it on her desk carefully. The metal was dented, blood spatters and hair covering the damaged fabric. A thick, musky canine scent wafted off of it, so strong that it made your eyes water. Behind you, Umemaru growled low in his throat.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. “Why did he bring this back to the village?”

“Said he found it at the edge of the woods.” Tsunade’s voice was grave, her hands folded in front of her as she stared down at the headband. “As you can see, we’re dealing with more than just an extermination.” Her gaze returned to the both of you.

“I’m assigning the both of you to track down the missing shinobi and figure out what’s going on, hopefully eliminating the threat or at least pinpointing it so we can send a more suitable response team.” You looked briefly at Kakashi- his expression was unreadable, but you swore for a second you could see a flicker of nervousness in his dark eye.

He nodded, before turning on his heel and walking casually out of her office. You followed behind, Ume nudging at your hand with his muzzle.

‘Hey, you don’t think we’re really gonna find something dangerous, do ya?’ He whimpers quietly, ears laying back against his head. You looked down at him with a sympathetic sigh, petting him between the ears. “I’m not sure, Ume.”

Once you were back out onto the street outside, Kakashi sighed and stretched, his arms extending above his head. Behind him, you eyed his catlike shoulder blades under his black shirt.  _ Man,  _ he was gorgeous.

“Well, I think it would be best for us to get going. Do you remember the way to the village?”

“Huh?” You responded dumbly, snapped out of your reverie. “Oh, yeah, of course.”

“Alright.” His eye creased in a kind smile. Ume snickered beside you as you blushed. “Lead the way, then.”

Without any more words, you leapt off of the street and in the direction of the front gate. The sun was starting to set, stretching long purplish shadows across the village beneath you. You looked back at Kakashi, close behind, eyes set and focused ahead. You felt your heart tug with familiar infatuation as you looked away, the sunset glow dusting the trees a warm gold.

~*~

_ You sat on the swing outside the Academy, legs idly swaying to and fro as you watched leaves blow by in the wind. It was already sunset, a couple hours after your regular meeting time, but Kakashi was nowhere to be found. He was never late, and you were starting to get worried. What if he didn’t want to play anymore? _

_ As you continued to sit patiently, waiting, you became aware of a steady noise coming from the woods beside you. It sounded like a hollow, repetitive ‘thunk’. Your brain eventually recognized it as the sound of metal hitting wood. _

_ Your curiosity piqued, you hopped off the swing and walked into the trees. The noise didn’t stop, and you were able to follow it to the source. _

_ Kakashi was standing in a small clearing, throwing shuriken at a wooden target. He would throw one, it would hit dead center, and he would go to pull it out before throwing it again. You were so surprised to see him that you were silent for a couple moments, just watching his ritual. So this is what he’d been doing? Why’d he not come to see you? _

_ “Kakashi?” _

_ He looks at you out of the corner of his eyes, not even bothering to turn his head as he flicks the shuriken at the target. Thunk. “Hi.” _

_ “Are… you okay?” You walk toward him hesitantly, not sure how to proceed. You didn’t want to make him feel bad for not hanging out with you. Maybe he’d just forgotten? _

_ “Uh huh.” He said without emotion, walking over and pulling the shuriken from the dummy. He paced back from it and threw it again. Thunk. _

_ Now you were really worried. Was he mad at you? Why was he being so cold? _

_ “Well, uh… do you wanna play?” _

_ He looked at you again, expression vague under his scarf. “Not today.” The shuriken hit the target again. Thunk. _

_ “Oh…” You responded, disappointment evident in your voice. His coldness was so abrupt that it made your stomach knot. “Okay. Uh, sorry to bother you.” _

_ Thunk. _

_ As you turned to go, you heard him sigh. “... wait.” _

_ When you looked back over your shoulder at him, his head was hanging down, silvery hair covering his eyes. He wasn’t making any moves to get his shuriken. He just… stood there.  _

_ “... can you stay a little longer?” _

_ As he asked, he looked up at you. His eyes were so sad and lonely, it made your stomach sink. Something must have happened, but you had no idea what… all you knew was that you didn’t want him to be alone.  _

_ So you nodded and sat down, knees tucked to your chest. He turned back to his target and restarted his ritual, throwing the shuriken and retrieving it just to do it all over again. You watched in silence, just hoping your presence could help him feel better. He would tell you what was wrong eventually. There was nothing else to say. _

_ Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. _

_ As you watched, the sun sunk down slowly past the trees. Even after the time for you to go home had passed, the both of you stayed in comfortable silence. Eventually, he stepped back from the target with a sigh. “You should go home. It’s late. I don’t want your family to worry.” _

_ You nodded and stood up, pins and needles tingling in your legs. “Are you sure you’re okay, Kakashi?” _

_ “Uh huh.” He murmured quietly, looking at the ground. The purplish shadows between the trees were occluding his face. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” _

_ “Okay, um… bye.” You offered him a wave and turned, walking out of the forest and back in the direction of your house. Dusk clouded the sky above you as you walked, wracking your brain, trying to figure out what could have happened to upset Kakashi so much. You’d never seen him so dejected. What on earth had happened? _

_ As you gazed up at the twilight sky, the realization hit you and chilled you to the bone. _

_ His dad had never come to pick him up. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no when Swing-kun makes an appearance you know things are gonna get emotional


	3. Village of Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long! I got caught up in some stuff. Thank you for your patience, this chapter is where the fun starts!

Nightfall had already darkened the forest by the time you spotted rooftops over the trees. You and Kakashi touched down in the small township, with Umemaru close behind. The dog whined as soon as his paws hit the dirt.

‘Ugh, that stink got even worse after we left!’ He yelped indignantly, pawing at his nose. You agreed- the filthy, musky animal smell was enough to sting your eyes. Looking over at Kakashi, you could see his face scrunch slightly under his mask. If it was strong enough for normal people to smell now, you knew it must have been getting pretty bad.

The township itself was sparse. There were maybe four or five residences, a quaint little onsen, and a general goods store. Overall, not the kind of place that would normally attract invisible threats. As the three of you walked down the dirt path into the village, a pale yellow light detached from the circle of welcoming warmth and approached you. It took a couple of seconds for your eyes to adjust and realize it was a figure, carrying a lantern.

“Travelers!” A voice called out to you both. As the figure got closer, it revealed itself as a tiny old man in a kimono, shuffling along patiently. “Wait… you’re shinobi from the Leaf Village, aren’t ya?”

“Yes sir.” You answered calmly, striding forward to see if he needed any help. The cane he held in one gnarled hand was barely keeping him upright, and he offered a toothless smile as you gently took the heavy lantern to ease his burden. Rubbing his bald head with one hand, he chuckled nervously.

“We wasn’t expecting youse so soon! I says to everyone, I says: the Leaf won’t send anymore help for at least a week, but here ya are! Ain’t that somethin?” With a pleasant smile, he extended a hand. “Name’s Osamu. I’m the owner of the bathhouse down the ways. Why don’t the two of you stay there? ‘S the least I can do for the Leaf Village’s finest!”

Kakashi nodded, smiling warmly and shaking Osamu’s hand. “That would be wonderful. We appreciate your hospitality. Hopefully we won’t impose on you for too long while we conduct our investigation.”

Umemaru wagged his tail, barking his assent, and the old man jumped a mile. “Oh! Uh, h-hey there, pooch. Is, uh…” He shuffled back a couple paces. “Is the dog with ya?”

The sudden fear you felt coming off Osamu made you raise an eyebrow, reaching over to place your hand between Umemaru’s ears. “Yeah. He’s my companion. He won’t be any trouble.”

‘Not unless you have any cats.’ Ume snickered under his breath. You gave him a disapproving look.

“W-well, as long as you say he won’t be trouble, uh…” Osamu stammered nervously, rubbing his bald head again. “That’s… fine. It’s just that dogs are, uh…”

As the man fidgeted nervously, you looked over his shoulder. Several other townspeople had gathered outside their houses, peering down the path at the interaction with accusatory expressions. The welcoming aura had dissipated as soon as they laid their eyes on Umemaru. He sensed it too; you could feel his fur bristling slightly under your hand.

Kakashi, also unsure how to handle the sudden tension, stepped forward to address Osamu. “Don’t worry. I’ve worked with these two for years, I can assure Umemaru is no trouble to anyone. Is it alright if you show us to the onsen?”

The old man eyed Ume suspiciously before giving a resigned nod, turning and hobbling on his cane in the direction of the bathhouse. You looked over at Kakashi and silently mouthed, “Thanks.” He responded by raising his headband and giving you a sly wink.

A hot blush flooded your cheeks and neck instantly. He wasn’t going to make this easy for you.

As your crew followed Osamu to the small onsen, a cloud passed over the moon, accompanied by a chill wind that made your skin prickle. The feeling wasn’t helped by the sensation of dozens of eyes, trailing you and Kakashi down the street. The night was silent, interrupted only by the rhythmic chirp of cicadas and Ume’s panting. 

“Here we are,” Osamu announced with a tremor to his voice, as he extended a hand to welcome you to the bathhouse. Kakashi rolled the door open for you and Umemaru, casting one more curious glance at the town outside before following you inside.

The foyer was small and modest, adorned with hanging scrolls and smelling of polished cedar. You felt your shoulders relax as you looked around the place- nothing seemed off in here. It was nice. Welcoming. 

“Now, then, I’ll just put ya both in one of our upstairs rooms.” Still eyeing Ume out of the corner of his eye, Osamu wobbled his way behind the welcome desk and scribbled something in the onsen’s ledger. “Ya don’t gotta worry about a charge, consider it our own personal hospitality… the baths are free use too, of course.”

Ume wrinkled his nose at the idea of a bath, but you felt yourself getting a little excited. This was feeling more like a vacation than an S-tier mission, especially considering the company…

“Wait, both of us are in one room?” You asked, making the connection a little late. 

Osamu blinked at you. “Well, o’ course. We only got three rooms, and as much as we ‘preciate ya helping the town, I can’t have ya takin’ up the whole onsen!” He snorted at his own joke, shuffling out from behind the desk and gesturing to the narrow stairs leading up from the corner of the room. “First room upstairs on the left. The baths ‘r out the back door. I’ll bring ya up some dinner once yer settled!”

Ume was bounding up to the second floor, Kakashi following close behind, by the time you fully processed what the old man had said. You were sharing a room with Kakashi…? You could hardly believe your luck… and it wasn’t just the good kind, either. Butterflies swarmed your stomach as you walked up the stairs, eyes glued to the back of the silvery-haired man’s shoulders. You hoped there were at least two futons.

Rolling aside the door to your assigned room confirmed your hopes, and you breathed a small sigh of relief. Thank goodness you two would at least have separate places to sleep. But there was a small part of you that was just a  _ little _ disappointed...

“Did you notice how the other townspeople were looking at us?” Kakashi’s voice broke your train of thought. You glanced over to see him standing at the room’s small window, hunched over slightly to look at the night outside. “It was almost like they were afraid of Umemaru. That must mean something.”

You passively realized this was the first time you’d been able to talk privately since arriving, and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I noticed the same thing. That, plus the smell… I’m still not convinced it isn’t some kind of animal responsible for the disappearances. They’re hiding something.”

Ume was rolling around on your futon, and his ears perked up at the mention of his name. ‘It smells like a dog,’ He whimpered, sitting up on his haunches. ‘An unwashed one. Maybe it’s some kind of rabid wolf or something?’

“If it were, a group of our shinobi would have been able to take it on.” You responded, slipping your hands into your pockets. Kakashi turned away from the window and looked at you with a smile.

“Well, there’s no use going out to investigate while we have such a pleasant room. I think we could all use a nice bath and a hot meal after the trip, what do you say?”

You found yourself warming up at his gentle voice and casual attitude. He could go along with anything. “That sounds nice,” you agree, ignoring Ume’s huffs of disapproval. It was impossible to get him to agree to take a bath.

The two of you found yukata hanging in the room’s humble closet, and you shoved a laughing Kakashi out of the room so you could change. As you pulled off your uniform, irritated that the animal smell from outside had stuck to the fabric somehow, Umemaru chortled from his spot on the futon.

‘What’re ya gonna do if they’re mixed baths?’ He snarked, seemingly unfazed by your death glare. ‘There’s gonna be a lot more than fire keeping that water hot!’

“Can it, fuzzball.” You pulled the robe on, tying it around your waist. The silk was soft and supple, a warm yellow patterned with small orange shuriken. “Just stay here and try not to cause any trouble?”

‘Way ahead of you.’ He paced in a small circle before settling on the bedding, his paws folded politely. ‘I’m just gonna take a nap. Wake me up when the food is here, will ya?’ With that, he yawned and flopped his head down on his paws, snoring almost instantly. 

You left the snoozing dog in your room and closed the door behind you, walking down the stairs and into the hallway leading to the baths. No sign of Kakashi or Osamu anywhere. The hall was dotted with small paper lanterns lighting your way, and as you pushed aside the curtains at the end of the hallway, you turned left to the room labeled as the women’s bath.

Thoughts coursed through your mind as you peeled off the yukata and sat on a stool, turning one of the taps to let warm water flow into a wooden bucket. The villagers had looked pretty suspicious of you and Kakashi- and what was their deal with Ume? As you scrubbed your spiky hair, you realized you hadn’t seen or heard any other guests in the adjacent rooms. And it seemed like Osamu was the only guy running the place. Were things so bad that he really had to keep his failing business going all by himself? Didn’t he have any family to help out with the onsen?

At length, you stood up, stretching and covering yourself with a towel. Whatever was going on, you still had the chance to take a nice long soak. There weren’t any tubs in the room you were in, but you noticed a doorway leading outside. ‘Ooh, open-air baths!’ You thought, delighted, and bundled your wet hair in a towel as you walked outside.

The baths were nice, alright. Steam wafted into the night air as the water shimmered with light from the paper lanterns. Small rivulets of water coursed down an assortment of rocks around the edge of the bath, and the gentle tune of trickling water paired well with the rhythmic noises of the bamboo fountain off to the side.

All of the delight upon seeing such a tranquil scene quickly diminished, however, as your eyes settled on the figure submerged in the bath.

“Hey, you made it.” Kakashi smiled and waved, his mask still on as he lounged with his arms slung over the rocks he leaned against. “I guess this place is too small to have anything except mixed baths. Nice, huh?”

It was too much. Your brain short circuited as you looked at him, his silver hair damp in the lamplight, water droplets adorning his toned physique, and…

‘Phew, he’s wearing a towel.’ You thought, relaxing somewhat at the cloth covering his hips. Still, you were sure the heat in your face could catch your hair on fire if it weren’t wet.

“Um.” You muttered, hands gripping your towel like a life preserver, “It… looks nice.” How was he being so casual about this? Your thoughts spun as you walked toward the bath slowly, making absolute sure you were completely covered.

The water was a welcome respite, and you slowly sunk into its embrace with a sigh, consciously staying as far away from Kakashi as possible. It did feel pretty nice, but it wasn’t enough to keep you from staring at him. “It’s… been a while since I was able to relax like this.” You said quietly, desperate for any conversation that could distract you from the gorgeous man you were sharing a bath with.

“Same for me. I wish Konoha had a bathhouse like this.” He said easily, his eyes closed. You realized that his headband wasn’t on, and his hair fell over his scarred eye. All embarrassment aside, a warm feeling spread inside you. It was nice to see him this way. Peaceful. You found yourself wishing you could see relaxed Kakashi more often, nudity notwithstanding.

“If I hadn’t become a Jonin, I would have run an onsen.” You said, quite truthfully. The life of a modest innkeeper had always been intriguing to you- no war, no fighting, just keeping people happy. It seemed like the best kind of hard work. Kakashi looked at you with a bemused expression, brushing a strand of wet hair out of his face.

“Really? You?” He grinned. “You’ve never struck me as the hospitable type.”

You rolled your eyes, looking over at the bamboo fountain. “You’d be surprised. I can even cook. Guess I just became a shinobi because I knew it would help more people… and the Inazuka clan has always gone the shinobi route, anyway.”

When you looked back at Kakashi, his grin had softened into something more distant… almost wistful. “There’s always the future. I think you’d make a wonderful hostess.”

The blush warmed your cheeks before you could stop it, and you pulled your towel closer around yourself with a shy smile. “I could use someone to test my cooking on.”

“Sold.” He responded warmly, his eyes closing as he sunk further down into the water. You smiled, the bath and the conversation warming you thoroughly, and the two of you sat in content silence for a long while. 

Eventually, though, your stomach began to growl, and you sat up with a long sigh. “Osamu’s probably brought dinner back to the room by now… wanna go upstairs?”

“I’ll catch up with you.” Kakashi responded, eyes still closed. You took advantage of the opportunity to step out of the bath, making sure you were still covered by your towel, sparing him one last glance before walking back inside to retrieve your yukata.

Several minutes later, your hair damp and your fingers pruny, you walked back inside the inn and up the stairs to your room. Your suspicions were confirmed as you rolled the door open, greeted by a large spread of food across the room’s small table. Heaping bowls of rice, miso, and noodles sat interspersed among platters of fish and dumplings. Ume was already going to town on a plate of yakiniku, and his tail began wagging the moment you walked in.

‘Hey, you’re back! The old guy dropped this off, I pretended to be asleep so I wouldn’t scare him too bad. I thought he was gonna pee his pants. It’s okay though, this stuff is delicious!’

“Looks like it.” you responded with a grin, sitting down at the table and pouring yourself a cup of tea from the steaming pot in the center. You’d barely started on your first helping when the door slid open and Kakashi walked in. His eyes widened at the spread.

“Wow, all this for us?”

“Yup!” You managed through a mouthful of rice. “You better eat what you can before Ume gobbles it all. Tea?”

“Please.” The silver-haired man smiled, sitting across from you and picking up a pair of chopsticks. As you poured a cup of tea for him, the warm, fuzzy feeling from before came back in full. Something about the two of you in your yukata in a cozy inn, sharing a meal, relaxed and happy… it was almost enough to make you feel like you were anywhere other than a dangerous mission to a strange town. 

Like how things were when the two of you first met.

He pulled down his mask to take a sip of his tea, and your heart swelled. You hadn’t ever seen him without it- the handsome face underneath was almost enough to make you melt. He had strong, chiseled features, with a sharp nose and distinct cheekbones. A small mole dotted his chin, framing soft, lush lips.

You spoke before you could stop yourself. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face before, Kakashi.”

“Really?” His smile was dazzling. “Well, does it have your seal of approval?”

“I-” You started, when the first scream rang from outside.

Ume leapt up with a panicked bark, as you and Kakashi followed suit. Another scream ripped through the night air, and the three of you scrambled out the door and down the stairs in record time. It took you no time at all to gauge the situation: a group of townspeople were crowding the middle of the street, maybe a dozen or so.

“It’s the shinobi!” Someone exclaimed, and the gathering turned to you three as it dispersed. There were stifled shrieks at the sight of Ume, you watched as a couple villagers even broke loose and fled in the direction of their homes. But their reactions did nothing to prepare you for what was crouched in the middle of the street. 

It was  _ crawling.  _ Long in its extremities and caved-in at the middle, it was barely clothed, tattered fabric hanging off its angular frame in ribbons. You felt your stomach rise in protest as it skittered around on all fours, its arms and legs bent at hideous angles. Beside you, Kakashi gasped- a sound that was short-lived as the thing turned to face you both. 

There was something metallic that glinted out from the shaggy, overgrown hair that hung in lank, greasy ropes over its face. Its face had been grotesquely deformed. The bones and muscles stretched forward in an obscene imitation of a muzzle, and behind them, its eyes were wide and dilated, swiveling around in their sockets aimlessly. You realized it could barely focus on anything ten feet in front of it.

As it sniffed, you became aware of a low, rumbling growl. Ume stood stock-still, hackles raised and teeth bared, staring right at it. ‘What the hell is this thing?’ He snarled at you. You could detect the fear in his growls.

“I don’t know.” You said, horror evident in your voice, as you withdrew a kunai and sank into a defensive position. The creature was obviously frightened, crouched like an abused animal in the middle of the street as other villagers cowered in fear near their houses. Kakashi narrowed his eye, looking between the thing and the villagers.

“I can distract it,” he said in a rush of breath, “get these people inside. Quickly.” With that, he flung several shuriken to pierce the dirt in front of it. Dust sprung into its eyes and the thing howled- a horrible, guttural combination of a howl and a shriek- and it sprang at Kakashi with surprising speed. He met it with a swift kick to the chest, sending it sprawling onto the street in a pile of gangling limbs. Despite the situation, you smiled slightly- he could handle it.

You turned to the cowering townspeople with narrowed eyes. “Okay, people, get inside!  _ Now!  _ We can handle this!” You shouted, gesturing for them to leave. They wasted no time, scattering like frightened rabbits. There was a strangled yelp behind you as Kakashi landed another hit, and you caught a sly flinching movement out of the corner of your eye as it slid into view, puffing up clouds of dust in its wake.

“Don’t kill it,” Kakashi yelled over to you, “we need to get it back to the Leaf village.” You nodded, cursing that you’d left your gear in the onsen. It was harder than you’d expected to fight in a yukata. Ume bounded forward, barking loudly, and the creature bared its surprisingly sharp teeth in response. The two met in a fury of bites and growls, tussling back and forth as you and Kakashi watched, but were soon clouded by dirt.

_ “Ume! Stop!” _

As the dust settled, Ume and the creature came back into view. The large black dog had it pinned down with both paws, growl low in his throat, teeth poised over the creature’s jugular. It was panting with exhaustion, skin slick with a clammy sheen of sweat. As you watched helplessly, the thing howled again, its voice so full of fear and sorrow that you felt your gut wrench.

And just like that, it went limp. You and Kakashi rushed forward, but it was too late. The thing’s chest had stopped its rapid rise and fall, and in the ghastly light of the lanterns, you saw it for what it really was: a man, nearly starved to death and crazed with fear. 

The metallic glint you’d seen earlier was a Leaf headband tied around the man’s forehead.

Kakashi’s eye widened with horror and he looked at you silently. You knelt down and felt for a pulse, but the man was dead. His skin was already beginning to lose its warmth. Ume whimpered, confused. ‘I didn’t even touch him! Honest! You saw, he just… died!”

“I know, Ume.” You murmured, reaching up to close the man’s eyes. “This must have been one of the shinobi sent here a few days ago.”

“That’s impossible,” Kakashi said quietly, “he looks like he’s been out here starving for weeks. What could possibly do this to someone in a few  _ days?” _

“I think that’s what we’re here to find out.” You said, running your fingers along his hairline and sniffing them carefully. The acrid tang of fear and stress made your nose sting, the musky animal smell only made worse by the bitter scent of adrenaline. “Ugh,” you muttered, flinching. “He smells like it, too.”

“What do you mean?” Kakashi crouched down beside you, eyeing the dead man with pity. You struggled to explain.

“When someone is stressed, they experience a lot of adrenaline. This is reflected in the way they… smell. Stress smells  _ bitter,  _ it smells  _ wrong, _ and those scents build up over time.” You gave your fingers another cautionary sniff. “This man smells like he’s been under an extreme level of duress for several weeks. Frankly, he… he smells like he’s gone insane. I’ve never quite seen anything like it…”

Your nose wrinkled, but as you went to pull your hand away, you caught something else. Something… familiar.

“Ume, does something about his scent seem familiar to you?”

The dog snuffled along the man’s chest, expression serious, before he caught something and looked up at you with wide eyes.

“It’s his base scent,” Ume whimpered, “he smells like us.”

Shock clenched your stomach in an icy grip, the realization making your heart sink like a stone. He was right. The smell you’d caught, leaf-green and familiar, was none other than the smell of the Inazuka clan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUNNNNNN


	4. The Way Things Were

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lack of consistency in updates! Of all the in-progress series' I have going currently, this is the one I absolutely am spending the most time fine-tuning. Gotta treat our boy right.

_ A nightingale lit onto a low-hanging branch, chilled by the winter wind, and sung to the grey sky. It hopped around a couple times, trying to find something that was worth eating. But winter had stripped the tree of any nutrients- it was like all that was left was the tree’s skeleton. Eventually, the nightingale flew off, seeking to find better luck elsewhere. _

_ You watched all of this from your window, hands folded on the sill, gazing out at the overcast day. Shifting uncomfortably in your black formal robes, you sighed. Were you ready? _

_ A knock on your door answered your questions for you. Your older sister said your name softly. “It’s time to go, okay?” _

_ Looking at her over your shoulder, you nodded and straightened your robes. “Okay.” _

_ The bitter chill of the wind coursed right through you as you both walked the streets of Konoha, towards the burial site. When you got to the grounds, you were surprised to see how few mourners had come to pay their respects to The White Fang of the Leaf.  _

_ The smattering of black robes jutted like crows against the grey sky. It seemed like the atmosphere village itself was mourning, clouded over with misty grief. Your sister’s hand was heavy on your shoulder as the two of you joined the gathering in silence. _

_ Two sticks of incense trailed smoke into the dreary sky, propped in front of a photo of Sakumo Hatake. Beyond the photo was his headstone, and a hole that seemed too deep and dark for words. Beside the grave sat a pyre covered with a white sheet, emblazoned with the symbol of the Leaf Village. Lord Third stood by it, his solemn voice a low comfort against the grief that came off him in waves. _

_ Your eyes scanned the crowd and, near the front, settled on Kakashi. Sorrow had stooped his shoulders and forced his gaze down, unable to look at the figure hidden under the sheet. You wouldn’t find out until years later that he had been the one to find his father after… _

_ His dark eyes, too pained for anyone his age, flitted up to meet yours. A solemn understanding passed between you both, the Hokage’s words fading as you gazed at one another. In that instance, you just wanted to reach out and hold him, tell him everything would be okay… _

_ And then he looked down at the barren ground again, closed off to everyone, resigned to his thoughts. _

_ Kakashi remained by the grave for hours after the funeral, even after everyone else had left. You watched him exchange a few quiet words with the Hokage before he was left alone. Utterly alone. You’d told your sister you would be home later, after taking a walk. Instead you sat by the cemetery entrance and watched the silver-haired boy stare at the freshly hewn earth. _

_ Solemn words floated across the misty air. He was talking to the headstone. You couldn’t hear what he was saying- not that you wanted to- but your heart ached for him all the same. _

_ That was the last time you and Kakashi would interact for several years. Even after you made Jonin, you’d wake up from dreams of the grey, misty sky and Kakashi’s dark eyes, endless in their sorrow. _

~*~

The memory washed over you as you stared down at an all-too-familiar sight: a body covered with a sheet. Kakashi stood beside you, respectfully quiet. The village’s coroner rattled off the results of their attempt at an autopsy.

“Had lacerations all over his body. We believe they were self-inflicted. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. And his vitals reflected what seemed like weeks’ worth of malnourishment.”

“That’s impossible,” you interrupted, “he’s only been missing for four days.” Your skin crawled. Something didn’t seem right.

“See for yourself.” The coroner pulled back the sheet.

What he revealed was shocking. The shinobi who’d attacked you both the night before had lost his dog-like appearance and was, in the light, just a man. Impossibly small and shriveled as he lay on the wooden table. A dark line of stitches ran from his sternum to his navel. His limbs jutted out at odd angles all over his torn and bruised body; your stomach churned as you realized some of the cuts were deep enough to reveal the stark white of bone underneath. Death had rendered him sallow and pale, his eyes dark and sunken into his skull.

His lips had begun to recede, revealing two rows of chipped, sharp teeth. The coroner pointed at his mouth. “Many of his injuries are bite marks. Given the state of his teeth, I believe they were done by him. He was… trying to eat himself.”

Kakashi narrowed his eye. “How do you know?”

“We inspected the contents of his stomach,” the coroner answered simply. “It was all raw meat.  _ His  _ raw meat.”

Your gorge rose, and you fought the urge to gag. The animal smell coming off him was weaker, but still detectable. As was the scent of the clan. “Did you find out who he was?” You asked Kakashi quietly. He nodded.

“Hideki Sohta. He was a newly-minted Chunin. Sixteen.”

You were used to child death, but something in your core wrenched. He was too young.  _ Far  _ too young. If only you’d recognized the threat in time…

“So he wasn’t a member of my clan after all.” You murmured, staring down at the body. In death, despite his shockingly gaunt and damaged appearance, he looked peaceful. The only peace he would ever find.

“Then why did he smell like one?” Kakashi asked. You shrugged. “Maybe one of his squad members was. It’s hard to tell- we’ll know more once we track down the threat. Thank you.” You nodded to the coroner, who calmly replaced the sheet over the body.

“Where are you keeping the other victims?” You asked the man. He fidgeted uncomfortably, straightening his medical robes.

“Cremated them, ma’am. We don’t bury bodies here. It’s terrible luck. I reckon he’s probably next.”

“What?!” Kakashi snapped, glaring up at the coroner. “He’s a Leaf shinobi. We need to take his body back to his family to lay it to rest in Konoha.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s village law. Can’t bury ‘em. Too risky.” The coroner was starting to sweat. You could smell his nervousness from six feet away. Kakashi’s voice got darker.

“Keep him in some kind of storage until we can return him to the village. That is an  _ order.” _

Your pulse fluttered a little at his tone, despite the situation. He knew how to come in clutch when he needed to. The coroner raised his hands in a gesture of resignation.

“Alright, alright. We can keep him on ice as best we can. Just don’t take too long.”

“Good.” Kakashi turned on his heel, eyebrow raised as he motioned for you to follow. “Come on. We have some villagers to question.”

As you left the medical facility, the mood between you was tense. Umemaru was sitting outside patiently- the coroner hadn’t wanted him inside- and his tail began wagging as you pushed open the door.

‘Hey, hey. Was he one of our clan after all?’

“Nope.” You answered, arms crossed. “Which doesn’t explain the smell at all.”

‘No kidding. It was  _ strong.  _ I sniffed around but I haven’t been able to pick it up anywhere except our room at the onsen.’

You turned and looked at Kakashi, who stood silently with his hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the calm hubbub of the village. Suddenly he walked off, much to your surprise, to approach an old granny who was struggling with her groceries. As you watched, the two talked out of earshot before he calmly took her burden from her hands and walked alongside her, matching her pace with a smile.

You and Ume looked at each other, stunned. 

‘The hell was  _ that _ all about?’ He yipped, ear twitching. You shrugged.

Several minutes later Kakashi came back, his gait slow and carefree. “Looks like the attackers have been coming out of the eastern woods. The villagers think there’s some kind of den a couple miles in that direction, judging by their missing livestock. So we need to start looking there.”

You gaped at him. “How was she willing to tell you all that?!”

“What, you don’t think I’m charming?” His eye creased in a smile, making you blush hotly and look away.

“Just make sure to  _ tell  _ me when you’re gonna go charm information out of some old lady.”

Kakashi and Ume laughed as you crossed your arms and rolled your eyes. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a couple villagers nervously skirt away at the sight of the large dog. What  _ was  _ it with these people and dogs?

“Hey, ‘Kashi, did she say anything about why they’re so freaked out by Ume?”

“Hmm…” he ran his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. “She mentioned something about a large dog being seen prowling around the edges of the woods a few days before the disappearances started.”

You raised an eyebrow. “That would have been useful information.”

“Heh, sorry. Slipped my mind.” The silver-haired man shrugged with a nervous grin. 

You looked down at Ume. “What do you think about it?”

‘It would explain the smell,’ he barked, sniffing at the air. ‘Speaking of which, has it gotten  _ weaker _ to you?’

Closing your eyes to shut out any distractions, you took in the air’s scent. Ume was right- the smell that had been strong enough to make your eyes sting just two days before was now barely there. You hadn’t noticed.

“That’s weird,” you murmured, eyes opening. Kakashi crossed his arms, peering off at the distant tree line.

“Maybe it’s for the best. It’s starting to get dark, we’d have better luck going after that den in the daylight. We just have to hope that the smell means there won’t be any more attacks tonight.”

He was right. The sun was just beginning to sink over the tops of the trees, casting long shadows across the dirt road. Fireflies blinked in the dusky air. “I guess that means another night in the onsen.” You said quietly.

“C’mon,” Kakashi gestured for you to follow him. “We could use the rest. We barely slept last night.”

It was true. Between apprehending the shinobi and attempting crowd control after, neither of you had gotten a wink of sleep since the sun came up. You followed a few steps beside Kakashi, Ume padding along at your side. Neither of you said a word until you got to the onsen, where Osamu was standing outside, hanging some paper charms. He looked at you two over his shoulder.

“Ah! Welcome back, Leaf shinobi! Don’t mind me, jus’ hangin’ up some protection spells that’ll keep us safe.”

“Osamu,” you started, trying to suppress your smile, “is everyone in this town as  _ superstitious _ as you are?”

“Whaddya mean?”

You paused thoughtfully. “The coroner said it was bad luck to bury a body, people aren’t walking in Ume’s path, and now you’re hanging up protection charms?”

“Jus’ the way our village has always been, ma’am.” He answered breezily, hanging the last one and turning to face you both. “No harm in bein’ extra careful, I always say! Now you two get up to yer rooms so I can fetch yer dinner, huh?” Osamu smiled, revealing a mouth of uneven yellow teeth. 

You attempted to smile in return before going inside and following Kakashi up to your shared room.

~*~

After dinner and another long bath, you sat in your yukata, gazing out the window at the night sky above. The village seemed peaceful. Restful. It certainly didn’t seem like the sort of place that would be teeming with superstition and monsters prowling its borders.

You reached into your pocket and pulled out the Leaf headband you’d been allowed to take from the most recent victim. The metal was chipped and dented from years of service. Giving it a cautious sniff, you weren’t able to pick up any traces of the horrible, musky animal smell. Nor could you detect the smell of the Inazuka clan. Frustrated, you put it back into your pocket quickly, questions buzzing around in your head.

The door rolled open and Kakashi walked in, idly scrubbing his damp hair with a towel. “This certainly beats camping out in the woods.” He proclaimed, sitting beside you and looking out the window as well.

Silence stretched on for several rather awkward minutes, only interrupted by Ume’s snoring, before you felt his gaze on you and looked up. The older man was looking at you thoughtfully, his expression hard to read as he let his head rest on his hand.

“What?”

“You should wear your hair like that more often. It looks nice.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, trying to play off the intense fluttering in your stomach. “Says the guy with only one eye to look at it with.”

“Do you remember when we would play together as kids?”

The question was abrupt and caught you off-guard. Kakashi adjusted his mask a little, brushing his silvery hair from his face. The old, faded scar that ran over his closed right eye flashed for just a minute before it was covered by hair again.

“Yeah, of course I do. What makes you ask that?”

He sighed, shoulders softening somewhat. “It seems like that was so long ago. You know, you were one of the only people I could stand back then.”

You smirked, turning yourself around so your back rested against the wall. “The feeling is mutual.”

“It got lonely once we joined different squads.”

Another shock of a sentence. Kakashi’s eyes met yours levelly, and then closed as he continued.

“I just… wish things could go back to the way they were sometimes. You know what I mean?” He looked down at his right hand, obviously weighed down by the memories it contained. Despite yourself, you reached up and let a hand rest on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to wish for that, ‘Kashi. We’re doing just fine on this mission, aren’t we?”

His childhood nickname made him chuckle, and he let his hand rest on top of yours. It was warm and heavy, rougher than you’d expected from years of fighting.

“When we finish this mission- go back to the village, I mean- let’s try to see more of each other.”

If you hadn’t known any better, you would say he was asking you out. You laughed, squeezing his shoulder and removing your hand. “Looks like Lady Hokage might start scheduling us to go out into the field again, so we’ve got that covered.”

“N-No, I mean…” Was he  _ blushing?  _ “In our free time, that is, um… we could always go get dinner or something.”

This sudden shyness completely caught you off-guard, and soon you were blushing as much as he was. You wanted to ask if it was a date, but he was obviously incredibly flustered, so you settled on the uncertainty and gave him a shy smile. 

“That sounds nice, ‘Kashi.”

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before standing up and straightening his yukata. “Well, we should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

~*~

You and Kakashi had turned the lights out hours ago, and you both lay on your neighboring futons. Sleep hadn’t come easily. Shafts of moonlight poured into the room, casting everything in an eerie mother-of-pearl glow. Ume was still snoozing away on the other side of the room, but aside from that, everything was completely quiet.

You looked over at the sleeping form of Kakashi. His back was turned to you and his shoulders rose and fell slowly. You found yourself thinking over his words earlier. ‘He wishes things could go back to the way they were? Is he that unhappy now?’

A strange compulsion drew your hand to drift across the small gap between your futons and gently rest on his, close enough to feel the warmth coming off his back.

“Can’t sleep either, huh?”

You jumped a mile, snatching your hand back as your heart hammered in your chest. Kakashi rolled over to face you, eyes creased in a playful smile.

“God, you  _ scared  _ me! I thought you were asleep!”

He shook his head. “Kind of on edge. And your dog isn’t helping either.”

Ume snorted especially loud, wriggled in place, and flopped back over to keep sleeping soundly. You shrugged. “Guess I’m used to it.”

The two of you lapsed into silence for a few seconds before Kakashi spoke, his voice the same quiet awkwardness it was before. “What normally helps you fall asleep?”

You pondered the question for a second, drawing your thin blanket closer around yourself. “Hmm… midnight snacks, taking walks, reading books… oh when I was a kid, my sister would pet my hair until I fell asleep.” You paused. “Don’t draw the dog comparison, people have done that before.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he lied, rolling over so he was laying on his back. Another few moments of silence passed before he patted his chest expectantly. “Come on.”

“What?”

“You just said it would help you fall asleep, right?”

Your heart began hammering, almost to the point where you thought he’d be able to hear it. Not wanting to argue- and kind of excited at the opportunity- you moved your futon over until it was touching his. With a deep breath, you closed your eyes and let your head rest on Kakashi’s chest, eyes fluttering closed.

He let his arm drape around your shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world. His hand crept up the nape of your neck and slowly began stroking your spiky hair, sending warm tingles down your spine and making you sigh with satisfaction. He was so  _ warm _ , and you breathed in the gentle forest-y smell of him.

“That feels nice,” you said simply, eyelids already getting heavy. 

His voice resonated deeply in his chest. It was thick with exhaustion, and you could tell he was falling asleep too. “There’s a good girl.”

Warm flutters in your core made you smile, sighing deeply, your body completely relaxed.

Your last thought before sleep took you in its dark embrace, as Kakashi’s fingers slowly ran through your hair, was that you never wanted to leave this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got happy little shivers at the idea of cuddling with Kakashi like this thank you and goodnight


End file.
